The early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce is foundational for providing high-quality learning, development and well-being experiences for young children. Policies can support the development of this workforce by addressing requirements for initial education and continuing...

In all of the OECD countries, employment is seen to be sharply segregated by gender, with women's employment heavily concentrated in the same occupations: secretaries, primary school teachers, nurses and home helpers. These jobs, whose image has in many cases remained stereotyped and...

Recruiting and retaining skilled staff is a long-standing challenge for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. OECD countries are increasingly demanding that ECEC staff be highly skilled and highly qualified, but a combination of low wages, a lack of status and public recognition,...